The day we ate all day

Sunday was for eating. Knocking off all the little snack places we wanted to visit. This involved a lot of walking through neighborhoods, but it was also the day it rained, all day, that misty annoying rain. My shoes never dried, the waterproofing didn't stand a chance.

Stop one: Russ and Daughters for old school authentic bagels lox and cream cheese.

Stop two: the original babycakes. I wanted a gluten free chocolate donut really bad.

Stop three: Big Gay Ice Cream for soft serve and bourbon chocolate sauce

Stop four: Arepas at Cara Cas. I had the reina pepiada which was avacado chicken salad between fried corn bread.

Between 4 and 5 we met up with my oldest and dearest friend who was also my very first boyfriend, but who is now like the older bother I never had.

Stop 5: Gluten free sicilian crust pizza at Keste. I want to go back right now.

Stop 6: industry party at this live work loft that had stereo and tv systems on a track so that they could move into any room you were.

Stop7: louro, where I had this amazing papardelle made from white asparagus, with uni butter and peekytoe crab. It would have been gluten free too, if I hadn't used the bread to mop up that delicious, delicious sauce.

Stop 8: blind tiger bar where I tried a strawberry flavored gluten free beer, and it was good

What are they wearing: festivus for the rest of us

Los Angeles is in its summer festival mode. Bohemian high low dresses, chain of flower headbands, tye dyed bra tops. I expected NYC to be different, but it wasn't too much.

What are people in new york wearing? 

A lot of lace cut outs in tops and dresses and a lot of lace patterned tights, all black of course.

A social movement with a soundtrack

After a trip down  to penn and back up to columbus circle armed with umbrellas, we hit the Met for a quick 45 minute tour. Definitely not enough time. I b-lined for the punk fashion show. It had gotten some negative reviews and I understand why. A movement started by poor and working class as retaliation against the disparity of wealth represented by dresses inspired by moth eaten clothes for a purchase price of $5,000.

Seems a little off.

Interesting to see that Vivian Westwood's first designs were made of muslin, a very inexpensive material and worn by original punk icons.

I did wish I could have spent more time with the show, but it was off to Harlem for over priced soul food.

;)

50 50

I never know why I trust the Weather Channel's forecasts. They are often if not always wrong. No rain until Sunday and I was duped again. As we sat finishing our homemade marshmallows at Jean Georges it began to pour and as it poured it said that there was only a 10% chance of rain and the icon had a big sun with a tich of cloud over it. I think I am in the wrong profession. I should have been a weather girl and changed my name to Haily Storms and get paid thousands of dollars to be completely wrong.

We had no umbrellas and a big day planned.  

Cuisine american

The only thing planned during this trip, although its impetus was the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, was where we were going to eat. Every meal, snack and drink was all part of a plan. Bagels and lox at Russ and Daughters, Arepas, ice cream with bourbon chocolate sauce at Big Gay Ice Cream,  this heavenly drink at macao trading company. Everything. At first this was a bit daunting with no room for spontinaity, but in the end with how long it takes to get from point a to point b, this, the eating was the most refreshing part of the trip.

Saturday was the day we had a 2 hour and 15 minute lunch at Jean George in the Trump Tower off of Central Park and Columbus Circle. All I kept thinking was I am glad that I know what all this silverware does so I don't make an idiot of myself like Tom Hanks in Big. This was also the day that was my turn to meet all of the boyfriend's friends.

I strongly recommend coming to Jean George during lunch, it still has all of the fancy of dinner service with being a little more laid back in atmosphere. (Dress code still enforced) It is also pretty economical at lunch, with a two plate meal at $38 with $19 for additional plates and offer half glasses of wine for tasting with your mea have to say that the options for plates are hard to pick with many things in season, like softshell crab, white asparagus, uni, etc.

I chose the ahi tuna ribbons that came out in a nest on top of pureed avacado, bright crimson and topped with chili oil, and finished off by the server pouring a small tea kettle of spicy soy sauce mixture. It was pretty fantastic. It was followed by arctic char, which is my favorite fish. The perfect mixture of the good things about salmon and trout, without the things you don't like, like after taste. This was perched on top of logs of white asparagus in a jade emulsion sauce, which tasted like green curry and green tea and a pureed herb of some sort, but I don't know. It was just good, believe me. If I weren't in such a fancy place I would have drank my plate. I tried some of Kam's sweet and sour black cod, which was crusted in nuts and had a mushroomy, nutty sauce that was crack like.

The waitstaff here are all very talented and work in precision like a gourmet flash mob, I loved watching them, clearing and serving, women first then men second, revealing meals at the same time from underneath bulbous ceramic covers, turning away like the last scene of Oceans 11 away from the fountain. I wish I could go back just for that show, with my headphones on with ballet music.

pictures are of amuse bouche and K's appetizer

Friday I'm in Love

Three hours is a huge difference. After going to bed at 4, too many cocktails served by mustachioed men who look like they belonged in barbershop quartets. 4 very much felt like 1 and 10 very much felt like 7.

I had to dust off the groggies and meet my new niece, ArMarBar who was staying in times square. She is already part of the young jet set at 10 weeks.  We got off the train one stop too early and wandered through the square at day time which is much different, less crowded, more faded so that our friend who came with us had a comparison of what would happen later. I was a little nervous since this was the first intro between family and the boyfriend.

We met mom and mandu at her hotel, for a second before she had to run off to meetings. The rest of us decided to enjoy the weather at a French restaurant across the street. ArMarBar was on a sleeping jag that just wouldn't quit. Slept through lunch, the crowds of people in the MoMA gift shop, and the begining of our trek through Central Park. I have been to New York a few times, but never to Central Park not sure why. Pre smart phone and gps I think. (Yes it had been a while) i had no idea is was so close to MoMA.

The following are pictures from Central Park. We took pictures of the babe a la Amelie, but those will come at another time.

I thought at first that it would be hard to be the "cool" aunt to all of the the nieces and nephews, but after talking with Arden about our day at Central Park, she is very chatty when she is awake, something I said must have been funny and I got some of her first giggles out of her.

Saving space on my carryon

First off let me say that I completely regret having my only camera be my iPad. I though that the camera on this thing was supposed to be good. It just isn't. It is a bit cumbersome, I got a lot of pictures of my fingers and pictures of people turned out super grainy and not in that retro hisptamatic kind of way. It was such a pain that I ended up not documenting this trip as much as I would have had I brought my camera. So this trip will be mostly description and photos I could salvage. A lot of them just weren't that good.